Project Dates2014 - 2019
Project fieldDüzce, Sakarya
collaborationsMinistry of National Education, Local Authorities, Balsu
PROJEct summary
Genç Hayat Foundation, concerned about the rights and conditions of the children laboring on the hazelnut fields in Turkey, has designed the project “In a Nutshell” as a sustainable model to keep child workers away from hazelnut harvests in Turkey, to raise awareness on child labor at the local and national scale and supporting seasonal agricultural workers to be employed in permanent jobs in their own hometowns. Genç Hayat plans to implement an inclusive program in order to break down the prejudices, to maintain the social inclusion and to strengthen the culture of coexistence among the communities.
- Children between ages 5 – 15, families, teachers, garden owners, local authorities
In a Nutshell project mainly put children in the center and established summer schools for both the children of seasonal agricultural workers and local children to keep them away from hazelnut harvest and to provide formal and non-formal education to keep up with their regular education. Genç Hayat Foundation aims not only to keep these the children of Syrian, local and southeastern families away from working in the harvest with their parents, but also provides an alternative which supports their academic development and strengthens the social inclusion between them by implementing the education programs.
- In this context, since 2014, Foundation organized summer schools for the seasonal workers children and also for local families children in the coastal region of Akcakoca district of Duzce province. Besides, meetings with the labor contractors, focus group meetings with the parents, contact meetings with the local authorities have been held. In the last two years, in-depth education programs have been organized for 609 children in total. In addition to the summer schools which are being implemented with the participation of 109 volunteer students from different universities and with 12 teachers from Ministry of National Education.
- Genç Hayat Foundation also organized trainings to 585 garden owners who work directly with Balsu, one of the biggest exporting company. Besides, focus group meetings with 1097 families and contact meeting have been held in collaboration with Akcakoca district governor and 18 village headmen.
- Additionally, families and children have benefited from medical screening. Food, clothing and Stationery support package have been distributed to the children and to the families in order to improve their well being.
- By this project, Genç Hayat Foundation plans to implement an inclusive program in order to break the prejudices, to prevent the social exclusion and to strengthen the culture of coexistence among the communities. Futhermore, this project serves for informing NGOs, local authorities, academicians about seasonal agricultural labor and child labor and increasing their capacity.
